Are you in control?

In thinking about the male airline attendant who recently went AWOL at JFK airport this week and it got me to thinking about being in control of the circumstances around us. And then last night in small groups what was the topic all about? Control.
So I got to thinking, how much control do we really have in our lives?
Not much I have come to realize. I mean yes we can plan for the future but can we control the future? I don't think so.
Can we plan our lives out with our marriage, our carreers and our retirement? Yes but how many times does that work out like we planned? Yes, I have to agree with our teacher from last night, control is just an illusion.
Which brings me back to the airline attendant. He lost control, but he also gained control at the same time. He lost it over a rude customer (as a frequent flier, to all my other frequent fliers out there, be nice to people and follow the rules, thanks) who felt they were above everyone else and more important than some insignificant flight attendant. Well I can tell you that person did not make their connecting flight or their meeting or their appoinment that they were flying to after the attendant made his emergency landing. He gained control over the whole situation, took control more like it. But sometimes there are things out of our control, like when the cops showed up at his house and arrested him. There we go again, control really is an illusion...